‘The Blacklist’ Season 7, Episode 11 Recap: “Victoria Fenberg”

Kailey
16 Min Read
Image courtesy of NBC.

The episode begins with Red, Dembe, and friends in a restaurant kitchen celebrating Dembe’s birthday. Suddenly, Dembe gets a phone call for Red from Mr. Orville. Red answers and Mr. Orville says that there is a buyer for all six nesting caskets. He says to have everyone bring their caskets to the island to meet the buyer. Red and Dembe cut their dinner short, and Dembe explains the danger of traveling over there because of the separatists that control the neighborhood where the vault is located. Red says that his fingerprint is the only one that opens the vault, and it would bring them a fortune. They must go to Artemivsk, Ukraine.

Image courtesy of NBC.

Dembe and Red arrive in Artemivsk, and Red is transported into a barn under a sheet so that he is hidden. He meets a friend named Vasyl and his men as Red, Dembe, and Vasyl go into the vault. Red opens a safe inside and takes out the nesting casket. Suddenly, Vasyl tries to lock them in the vault, but they escape. Vasyl says that they have taken someone close to him, and he called separatists right after they arrived. He says his men still plan to get him out and apologizes. Red tells Dembe they have to move. A group of men is carrying two big wooden caskets down the street as separatists attack. They open the caskets to find both are empty as Red and Dembe escape in disguise on horses.

Image courtesy of NBC.

Back in D.C., Red meets with Cynthia, an old friend, and has her determine the price of his nesting casket. She brings her magnifying glass and examines it. When Red presses her for a price, she says it’s worth as much as “a politician’s word.” The casket is fake. “We stole a bunch of counterfeits.” Red realizes that all of the other buyers must have no idea of the hoax and that if they can find the forger, it may be able to find all the original nesting caskets. “Lemons to lemonade, Dembe.”

Aram and Elodie are in bed talking about his job when suddenly an alarm goes off. Elodie runs downstairs, and her husband’s nurse is doing CPR on Charles. The nurse tells her to call 911, and she says that her husband is having a heart attack. Aram comes downstairs just as Elodie gets on the phone with 911.

Ressler comes into Liz’s office as she is sewing a ballet shoe and apologizes for killing Liz’s mother because of looking into her. She explains to him that she isn’t dead. She staged her death for Reddington. She tells Ressler they can’t tell anyone, and he asks if Red told Liz that her mother was the woman from Paris. She says no, but she doesn’t want to admit it to Red. Ressler advises her to play dumb. He asks what Agnes is dancing in. She is in “Sleeping Beauty.” Suddenly, Red calls Liz and explains how he and five other associates bought fake nesting caskets. Liz interrupts him to ask about if the woman from Paris was her mother, but he deflects. Liz lets Red continue about the forgery.

Liz briefs the team and describes the art forgery business. Aram goes into more detail, saying that the forgers just need to be good engineers and can use mirrors to project the painting onto a canvas to copy it. As he explains, we see our supposed forger copying a painting when her associate arrives. Liz says to start with a piece from the Olympian Gallery that Red believes has been forged. Cooper stops the team and says that Ressler told the team Liz was hiding something, Agnes being in “Sleeping Beauty.” He tells her that they all want tickets to her show.

Victoria arrives at a man named Saul’s office at a law firm while her associate is in disguise as a janitor in the boiler room. Liz and Ressler tell Cooper that the painting that Red suggested they investigate was a fake and that when the portrait was hung in the museum, it was the original. Victoria and Saul discuss that the company funded the funds for a trust, but now that money is needed elsewhere. Suddenly, an alarm goes off about smoke, Saul says they need to evacuate, but Victoria refuses. He goes to check, but she sneaks out of the office. Cooper asks how it was stolen, so Liz and Ressler explain that a gas explosion took out the museum’s security. Liz tells Cooper that teams are reviewing the footage. Victoria is seen stealing an antique egg then replacing it with a fake. As she finishes, Saul finds her, and they evacuate.

A man named Mr. Thornberry arrives at a restaurant where a man tells him that a guest is waiting for him at his usual table. Mr. Thornberry reluctantly goes over to the table and almost calls security on Red, but when he mentions stealing art, Thornberry sits. Red says that he is aware of his purchase of a stolen painting, and the FBI is also aware of the purchase. Red says that he wants the name of the person who sold it to him.

Liz happens upon Aram, who looks nervous. He explains to her that Elodie’s husband had a heart attack that morning, and he is waiting to hear how he is doing. He says that he wants peace for him and feels bad that they were sleeping together upstairs. Liz reassures him that they are in a complicated situation just as Ressler finds them both to tell them they received the security footage from the museum.

The team watches the footage, and Agent Park reveals that the gas line in the video didn’t cause the car parked near it to explode. The vehicle exploded, which ruptured the gas line. Park brings the video back where they can see the license plate. Aram runs it as the team sees someone exit the car before the explosion. Aram says the car belongs to a Richard Vitaris in Maryland. Cooper orders Park and Ressler to go to his address while Aram and Keen find out more information on Vitaris.

Victoria is working on her forged painting when her associate knocks to let her know to an appraiser named Eagleton is willing to make a deal, if they can agree on a price. They discuss and agree as Victoria’s associate wires the money. The associate is upset because it’s not enough money for their defense, she says that after this next painting is done, it will be enough. He apologizes, but she says he has lost so much and continues with the art.

Image courtesy of NBC.

Ressler, Park, and an FBI tactical team arrive at Vitaris’ home, where they find blueprints and other evidence. Ressler gets a call from Liz and Aram telling them that Vitaris is their guy. Liz says they have his motive. Aram explains that Vitaris is a plaintiff against a pharmaceutical company owned by the Fenberg family. Vitaris’ son became addicted to their painkillers after a football injury and overdosed. Red’s nesting casket and the painting that was forged were both initially owned by the Fenberg family. Cooper has Liz and Aram warn the Fenberg’s and Ressler and Park bring in the evidence against Vitaris. Liz and Aram arrive at the Fenberg’s and meet the family, including Victoria. They tell the family that they have identified a suspect but believe he may have an accomplice.

Liz and Aram explain that although the pieces got authenticated, the theft and forgery happened after. Mrs. Fenberg suggests Vitaris must know where the original is, but Liz and Aram reveal they haven’t found his location yet. Victoria tries to play “devil’s advocate” by saying that Vitaris lost his son, and money will never be enough, which ensues an argument with her parents, who are in a lawsuit against him. Victoria clarifies, saying they will help with the investigation. Aram suggests that she go through their whole collection and authenticate them. Mr. Fenberg makes a very stern request and says they need to find Vitaris so he can have them pay for what he and his accomplice have done.

Victoria arrives back at her studio to tell Vitaris that the FBI came to the house, and she can’t make the swap now because art authenticators are crating up the pieces. The police are looking for him, but he isn’t willing to give up. He devises an idea of a distraction at the Fenberg house that the swap could still happen.

Elodie calls Aram to update him on her husband, Charles. She says he will live, but she was hoping that he would pass. Aram seems very taken aback and has to end the call because the team is going over evidence found at Vitaris’ place. The team with Aram’s lead determines what Vitaris’ next move is because the forger specializes in work from the 19th century., The only piece fitting that description is hanging in the Fenberg house.

Red interrupts a seemingly relaxing bath of Mr. Eagleton when he shows him the forged nesting casket. Red tells Eagleton he knows he is in business with a counterfeiter who steals art from the Fenberg family, and he wants their name. Eagleton says it would be suicide as Dembe brings out a waffle maker and plugs it in. Red is about to drop it in the bath when Eagleton reveals Victoria Fenberg is the counterfeiter.

Image courtesy of NBC.

Workers are moving the art into boxes as Mr. Fenberg watches. Victoria finds him, and they discuss Vitaris. She says that he is angry and has lost his son. He insists they didn’t kill his son when Victoria gets a call from Agent Keen. She tells them they are sending units to their residence for their protection if Vitaris strikes. Victoria goes to get her mother calling Richard to tell him that they can’t swap with the police there. He insists the plan goes on.

Ressler and Keen arrive, and Mr. Fenberg leads Ressler inside. Liz tells the police to help gather the art so it can be cataloged. Victoria tells two movers to go downstairs at the police’s instruction, beginning to work on the swap. Vitaris comes out of one of the trucks and bumps into Keen, who recognizes him. He runs and grabs a gun as Keen yells for Ressler. Victoria completes the swap. The police try and convince Richard to put the gun down. Mr. Fenberg, Ressler, Keen, and others go into the room the painting was being held and see that it is still there. Victoria sees Vitaris arrested, and she leaves the room with her briefcase in hand, with the real painting inside.

Park and Ressler tell Cooper back at the Post Office that Vitaris insists he is working alone. Cooper suggests they put him in lockup where maybe he will reveal who he is protecting. Victoria arrives at Mr. Eagleton’s house, where Red and Dembe are waiting. Red explains that he acquired a fake casket years ago wants the name of the person who has the original. He insists that he has no intention of stopping her justice against her father and hopes one day they can work together.

Red goes to the buyer of the nesting casket and meets with her. He asks for a glass of water and admires her nesting casket from her glass case. Victoria meets with Richard to say that she will confess, but he insists she has to carry on their work. Ressler is waiting outside of where Richard is held and says that he believes she is the accomplice. She denies it. He says they will be in touch.

Red and Liz are riding in his car as he brings up how just as he thought his casket was real and it turned out to be a fake, the same happened with the woman in Paris convincing Liz she was Katarina. He asks if they can drop her off because he is off to sell the casket. She asks that he be there for Agnes’ ballet, he agrees.

Aram arrives at Elodie’s house to break up with her because when they are together, they break the law. Suddenly, Elodie and Aram are in her bedroom, and we hear the ventilator of Elodie’s husband.

Watch the promo for next week’s episode below.

 

The Blacklist airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC.

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By Kailey
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Kailey has been a writer for Nerds and Beyond since 2018. She received her bachelors degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May of 2020. Some of her favorite TV shows are The Blacklist, Supernatural, and Prodigal Son, to name a few. She also loves all things Disney! You can check her out on social media @kaileygross.
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